


Marooned

by Aidaran



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, DS9, Fights, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I Don't Even Know, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Violence, Sorry Not Sorry, Star Trek - Freeform, canon (for now at least), no tech, season 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-02 17:17:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17268191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aidaran/pseuds/Aidaran
Summary: Garak and Bashir end up in an uninhabited planet after their runabout crashes. Bashir estimates they will be there at least 27 days. No replicator, no comm system, little rations, and very cold nights. What could possibly go wrong?---“Garak, could you please let me go”.Reptilian eyes focused on him at a very short distance, and suddenly opened in understanding.“Oh”.But he didn’t move.“Sorry, oh?”“It’s still cold?”“Garak!”“All right, all right, I’ll get up”.





	1. Day 1

“I’m afraid, my dear, we will be here longer than anticipated”.

“What do you mean?”

“The transmitter is sort of broken”.

Julian took his eyes from the injury he was treating on a very reluctant cardassian and saw that _broken_ was an understatement. Half a console was buried inside their only mean to signal where they were to get rescued.

“Can you fix it?”

“I’m not sure, but I can try. It would be easier to start from scratch, though”.

 

After some hours of work, Garak just gave up. Bashir had patched his wounds but they still felt tender, the field rations were awful, and the temperature was definitely going down. Also, the runabout was a wreckage and they were still trying to salvage as much as possible.

“So much for your Engineering course at the Academy”.

“Come on Garak, it was only a basic field training, and it somehow seems unlikely taking half a roof out of the environmental controls would be in any course program”. Garak huffed at the answer. “Put on another blanket”.

“I have taken all already. It’s cold”.

“Yes, I know it’s cold. I’m in the same runabout, in case you haven’t noticed”.

Yet he took pity of him. His scales were pale and he was buried under all the thermic wool they’ve been able to salvage. Julian walked to the bunk bed and sit at his side.

“Here, make me room”.

“What do you think you are doing?”

“Sharing heat. I’m freezing too. It’s not too undignified for you, is it?”

Garak looked offended and seemed about to start hissing like a cat, but then he gave up. It WAS too cold to argue anyway.

“Do as you please”.

Julian untangled Garak from the blankets and slid inside. He expected Garak to be tense but once he finally stopped pulling out layers of wool and found him, he felt a scaly hand pulling him closer and a softer than expected eye ridge pressed on his neck.

“On second thought, my dear, you are like a hot water bottle. I think I’ll just keep you close”.


	2. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, you can't blame a cardassian for wanting a bit of heat, can you?

_What the hell happened and where the hell am I?_  It took Julian a couple seconds to remember he and Garak had crashed in a planet, the runabout was totally broken, and the night had been extremely cold. Still, that didn’t explain how the cardassian had managed to tangle around him as if he had no bones, and seemed totally decided to not let him go. A warm breath was regularly hitting his cheek and a hand was grabbing his hair.

“Garak”.

“Shut up”.

_Shut up? Really?_

“Garak”.

The hand pulled him close and Julian had to make an effort not to roll his eyes.

“Garak, could you  _please_  let me go”.

Reptilian eyes focused on him at a very short distance, and suddenly opened in understanding.

“Oh”.

But he didn’t move.

“Sorry, oh?”

“It’s still cold?”

“Garak!”

“All right, all right, I’ll get up”.

Now that was a side of him Julian had never imagined. Fuzzy, sleepy and apparently, equal parts cuddly and morning lazy.

“So much for a former spy”.

Garak was already totally awake now, even if his hair didn’t quite look it.

“My dear Doctor, you can’t blame a poor, simple tailor for wanting to keep heat a bit longer”.

 

Garak spent the day exploring. They had landed near a river, and the few sensors that still worked showed most wildlife was small and there was not intelligent life. Bashir improvised with what was left of his medical equipment a lab to test plants in search of edible ones, and tried again, unsuccessfully, to send a signal.

He was sitting at the side of the river when Garak came back.

“Any luck with the transmitter, doctor?”

“Not really, no. I estimate they already suspect something bad happened, but unless they take the ion storm into account, I doubt our whereabouts will be discovered in less than 27 days”.

Garak passed him a field ration and Julian bit it distractedly.

“Such an exact calculation”.

“Well, I took into account how far it seems we got, how many class M planets are around, and the fact that at least a couple survey teams will have to get back because of Jem’haddar. Give or take a couple of days, I think we’ll be here almost a month. And the replicator is broken and there are rations for less than a week”.

Garak looked into the river.

“About that. I wanted to ask you something. I can hunt, and there’s fish in this river. How would you feel about it? I know you federation people only eat replicated meat”.

Julian sighed. He had also taken that into account.

“Nights are cold, you need a bigger protein intake than I, and we will probably be doing a lot of physical work. Honestly, I don’t think my feelings matter in this case. I won’t like it, but there’s nothing to discuss, not really. But thank you for asking anyway”. He got up and smiled faintly. “So, shall we test all those fruits you brought?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are love!


	3. Day 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally Garak gets Julian to talk about how smart he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, it never made sense to me that Julian didn't just realize who Garak's father was, nor Garak noticed how smart his human friend was. Also, they could very well have started a club called "daddy issues" and invited Ziyal to join it. So, I'm fixing it.

“All I’m saying is, I’m sure it would only take you a couple days to gain that knowledge”. Garak bit a fruit. Not his favorite breakfast, but it was better than field rations.

“Sure, the Chief just woke up one day knowing all about his trade too, I’m sure”.

“But you are not like the Chief, we both know it”.

“I’m a doctor, Garak. And a human, with a limited brain”.

“You are a doctor that happens to be smarter than anyone on that space station”.

“I am not, and whatever you think I am, I don’t want to discuss it”.

But Garak was not about to let it go. He’d suspected for over 4 years and finally had the doctor cornered, with no infirmary to run to.

“I always found that curious. You _are_ superior to any other Federation citizen I met, even Vulcans, and yet you hide it like it was a disease. What is the problem, did you kill someone and got its powers?” It was meant to be funny and snarky, but Garak immediately realized he had touched a sensitive spot. Julian got up and was about to leave, but then thought it better and turn to face Garak.

“You could say somebody died, yes. And if word came out of how I really am, I may end up locked up, so I’d appreciate it if you shut it”.

“My dear, I’m sorry, I was just trying to…”

“You were being nosy”. Garak made a small noise like a hiss. “No, sorry, I’m being unfair. I didn’t want to snap at you. But really, I’ve managed to keep it secret for more than 20 years. I’m really not comfortable talking about it”.

Julian went out and Garak followed him. When he found him, he was a lot further than he expected, sitting on a rock near the river, his legs folded up and his chin on his knees. Garak purposely kicked some rocks when he got closer, but Julian didn’t look up.

“You just won’t give up, will you?”

“I really wanted to apologize. It’s not as if I have too much people who would like to spend time with me, so I’d rather not chase them away”. He sit at his side. They were silent for a while, watching the river go. Julian put his head in Garak’s shoulder.

“I meant it when I said nobody can know. I am a fraud, but I’d rather not be locked because of that”.

“You really don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want. I apologize for pressing on you”. Garak tentatively slid an arm through Julian’s back, and when he didn’t tense, he pulled him close.

“I want to, but I need to know nobody else will ever know”.

 

It was getting dark when they finally made it back to the runabout. Julian had helped Garak fishing, and proved how all his clumsiness was just an act by getting most of the preys. Now they were sitting close, with Garak's arm firmly around Julian's waist, blankets over their shoulders while the fish cooked in a fire.

“There’s one thing I still don’t understand” Julian’s gaze came back to the present at the sound of Garak’s voice, and he leaned a bit closer. “Why would they lock you? Clearly you are an invaluable asset”.

“Ever heard of the Eugenic Wars? There’s this fear that any augment carries the potential to become a ruthless leader, bent on world domination”. Julian rolled his eyes while he said that.

“That’s ridiculous”.

“Perhaps, but still we are not quite human. Our DNA is different. You have no idea how hard it is to fake a screening. Augments can’t get into Starfleet anyway, so it doesn’t matter if I’m the next Khan or a field doctor, I’d be out in a minute”.

Julian put his head in Garak’s lap and closed his eyes while he was talking. He looked vulnerable, but relieved. Garak felt something akin pride at the idea that Julian had been lying and cheating in IQ and health tests all this years. Not even him had imagined he had it in him to lie to Starfleet and get away with it.

“Maybe I should tell you a secret of my own, so you can feel safe that I’ll never betray you”. Garak’s eyes were twinkling, and it was obvious he was not about to tell something of importance, but Julian couldn’t resist the bait.

“If you are about to tell me who your father is, I figured it out the moment I set foot on the Arawath Colony”. Garak took air with a strangled sound, and Julian realized maybe that was not the best thing to say. He sat immediately, with remorse in his eyes. “Sorry, I was saying so many things I always held up I forgot maybe it was a sensitive thing for you, and… I can tell you how I noticed it, but I won’t tell anybody, I promise”.

Garak relaxed and forced himself to smile. Well, now they were even. At least he knew that particular secret had always been less secret than he expected. He’d suspected Julian had seen more than he claimed to that day.

“Well, I was about to tell you how to hide buttons when you make a thermal jacket, which is not as easy as it sounds, but I guess this saves me from telling you my deepest tailoring secrets. Now, shall we eat, my Doctor?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun!! what will happen next? No, seriously, I really want to know what will happen next because it's 3 am and I have no idea.


	4. Day 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not all animals are small and harmless in the planet, as Garak soon finds out.

_This is ridiculous. Far below my dignity. I’m not some sort of bird to be perched like this._

Garak was clinging for dear life on top of a tree, and honestly wondering whether to add heights and six-legged bears to his apparently growing phobias list.

_So much for “most wildlife is small, Garak. I don’t detect anything too dangerous, Garak. Yes, I think a phaser and a small knife will do, Garak. Is not like you’ll be hunting Targs, Garak”._

Clearly, not all wildlife was as small and harmless as the doctor had suggested, as a 600-pound beast waiting for him to fall was more than happy to prove. And the fall would happen soon, judging how much blood was getting out of his left arm and several smaller cuts.

_I wonder if the doctor will find my corpse or the bear will leave no traces. It would be certainly unfortunate to just disappear without him knowing what happened. Not that I have control over what will happen to my body, anyway._

The beast shook the tree and Garak snapped back to reality.

_Focus, Elim, focus. The blood loss is distracting you._

He weighed his options: the phaser he was using to hunt was between the beast legs, so it was clearly a no. Throwing branches to distract it? _What am I, a 6-year-old child?_   Communicating with the doctor was out of the question too. Not even the combadges were functioning. In fact, not even the universal translator was, so they’ve been talking in Kardassi since they landed (which Garak hadn’t even realized the doctor was extremely fluent until that moment). Running away with a busted arm and so much blood loss was completely impossible too. Back to option one, somehow he needed to get that phaser back.

He tried throwing a branch, to see if he could get the beast to get away at least a couple seconds. It didn’t work.

_Of course it didn’t work Elim. You scratched that option already._

He had a knife, but a glance at it almost made him laugh. It was short, and he had used it mostly to get preys no bigger than his hand. While the beast clearly had no exoskeleton, its skin looked thick, and probably he would have to sink the knife up to the hilt until reaching anything important. Besides, with a 6-legged creature that makes targs look cute, how do you know where to stab?

He felt a bit dizzy and decided it was now or never. If he allowed time to pass, he would not be able to put up a fight at all.

_So, the plan is: cut a branch, use it to keep the beast at bay. Get the phaser, shoot it in the eyes, run for dear life. It won’t work and is a mix of all the ideas you already rejected, but yes, it sounds like a nice plan, Elim. The Obsidian Order would be so proud of you._

Garak cut a branch and made sure the edge was as irregular as possible. He looked down. Almost 20 feet to the ground. Even with so many branches as that tree had, going down with the stick and an injured arm was going to be difficult. It had already been hard to get up, and at that moment he had a lot more blood than he had now. Also, he was a lot more panicked so he had not really thought a lot on his way up.

He got as close as possible to the ground while still out of reach, and took one of his little preys out of his pouch.

_So much for chicken supper, I guess._

He sank the stick in it, and then took another one and threw it far, but not enough for the beast not to see it. He waited until it turned to catch it and jumped to the floor, falling as silently as possible.

He ran for his phaser, but the beast was faster and hit him with a clawed paw. He felt all air leave his lungs as he hit the tree. His vision doubled for a moment and he idly wondered if he had a concussion. He rolled when the paw tried to get him again, and shook the branch with the prey in front of him, trying to divert attention. At first it seemed it would not work because he ducked another attack, but then the bear sniffed and seemed to change its mind.

Garak waited patiently for it to try to eat it. The moment it opened its jaws, he pushed with what little strength he had left, hurting its mouth, and again run for the phaser. This time his hand closed on its handle, and he didn’t let go even after receiving a mean blow. He fell on the ground and shoot mindlessly, not really seeing anymore, until he heard a loud howl. The phaser had not killed the creature, so he dropped another little animal, just in case, and ran as best as he could, limping, bleeding and hurting.

 

“Garak! What happened?” Julian ran and grabbed Garak by the waist and good arm and guided him to the runabout, trying to assess how badly injured he was.

“I’m sorry to inform that I found out not all the fauna is small and harmless, my dear. Really worthy of further study. Sadly, I don’t think we will be able to know if it is edible or not, since it seemed unlikely I’d either be able to carry it home or befriend it”.

He almost collapsed on the bunk, while the doctor scanned him and mended his wounds.

“I’m afraid you will have to stay put for a couple days, Garak. You really lost a lot of blood. You have a mild concussion. You are bruised everywhere and you broke two ribs”.

“Did I? I didn’t notice, dear”. He was feeling sleepy. The sound of Julian’s instruments lulled him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may be a bit stressed out. This is the third fic in a row that turns out quite mean. I totally owe them a nice, fluffy chapter after this week.

**Author's Note:**

> So, the oldest trek troupe of them all: two characters marooned in a planet with no means to get out (well, no, babyfics probably are older, but I wouldn’t touch those with a 10-feet long stick). Still trying to decide if it will stay in the T side or the rating will go up eventually. I don't know where the hell I'll end with this fic, but 12 hours ago I didn't even have a plan and now I have over 2000 words looking at me at 2 am. 
> 
> As always, comments are love! I'm beginning the year with this fic, so I hope you like it as much as I'm enjoying writing it.


End file.
